U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel declined to comment on The Wall Street Journal's information that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is preparing to obtain congressional approval for the $20 billion sale of new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, as well as a separate sale of next-generation F-35 military aircraft to Greece.

According to him, as a matter of policy, the department is not going to comment on proposed sales or transfers of defense assets until they have been formally reported to Congress.

Relations between Greece and Turkey have been very tense lately, not least because of the Turkish authorities' constant threats to Athens. Most recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced another threat, accusing Athens of infringing on Turkey's rights and interests in the region, including in the Aegean Sea.

The Greek media began to write with concern about the range of the Typhoon missile, claiming that Ankara could strike Athens. We have no such target. Only if Turkey's interests are threatened can we retaliate, he added.